Semifinals set for 2010 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships

SEMIFINALS SET FOR ITA
NATIONAL WOMEN'S TEAM INDOORS

No. 1 Duke, defending champion Northwestern advance

MADISON, Wis. - The Semifinals have been set for the 16 teams competing
in the 2010 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships hosted by the
University of Wisconsin at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

More on the Quarterfinalists:
#1 Duke: Top-ranked Duke (7-0) continued its early season dominance by
getting the match started on the right foot, taking the crucial doubles
point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. In singles action, Southern
California grabbed its first point of the match to make it 3-1 with a
win at No. 1 from eighth-ranked Maria Sanchez. She outlasted Duke's
20th-ranked Reka Zsilinszka 6-3, 6-4. Needing just one more win to earn
a spot in the semifinals after Blue Devil Monica Gorny claimed a
straight-set win at the No. 6 spot, senior Amanda Granson grabbed the
first set 6-3 and followed through in the second set to win 6-3, 6-2 and
launch the Duke into the semifinals. The Blue Devils advance to the
semifinal round to take on their heated rival, North Carolina.
First Round Matchup: No. 1 Duke def. Wisconsin, 6-1
Quarterfinal Matchup: No. 1 Duke def. No. 8 USC, 4-2
Semifinal Matchup: No. 1 Duke vs. North Carolina - 3:30 p.m. (CT)

#2 Northwestern: For the second year in a row, defending champ and No. 2
seed Northwestern's quarterfinal match at the ITA National Indoor Team
Championship came down to one singles match to decide the outcome. Just
like in 2009, the Wildcats prevailed in dramatic fashion, this time
thanks to sophomore Elena Chernyakova's come-from-behind win as NU edged
No. 7 Florida, 4-3. After splitting her first two sets against the
Gators' Claire Bartlett, Chernyakova trailed 5-4 in the third set before
storming back to win the set 7-5 and send the `Cats into the semifinals.
The Wildcats also received crucial singles wins from veterans Maria
Mosolova and Lauren Lui as well as newcomer Brittany Wowchuck. After
losing the doubles point for the first time this season, No. 2 NU (6-0)
came back in strong fashion in singles, eventually taking a 3-2 lead in
the team score when Luiwon her No. 4 singles match. Florida then tied
things up at three, setting up Chernyakova's thrilling victory in the
fifth of five singles matches that required three sets to determine a
winner. After Bartlett managed to win the first set 6-4, Chernyakova
found her stride and eked out the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6. The NU
sophomore went back and forth in the deciding set and eventually trailed
5-4 before staging her comeback and setting off a celebration with her
Northwestern teammates, keeping alive the 'Cats' hope for a repeat of
last year's championship.
First Round Matchup: No. 2 Northwestern def. Tennessee, 5-1
Quarterfinal Matchup: No. 2 Northwestern def. No. 7 Florida, 4-3
Semifinal Matchup: No. 2 Northwestern vs. No. 3 California - 3:30 p.m.
(CT)

#3 California: Third-seeded Cal (6-0) defeated No. 12 UCLA (6-1), 4-3,
to move into the semifinal match for the second year in a row and face
the winner between No. 2 Northwestern (5-0) and No. 7 Florida (7-0).
After splitting wins on the first and third doubles courts, senior Kasia
Siwosz and junior Marina Cossou prevailed, 7-2, in a tiebreaker to earn
the 9-8 win over Noelle Hickey and Nina Pantic to clinch the doubles
point for the Bears. Junior Mari Andersson and sophomore Jana Juricova
avenged an early-season loss to Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack by
taking out UCLA's 10th-ranked team, 8-1, at the top court. But Cal's
freshman tandem of Tayler Davis and Annie Goransson had their six-match
winning streak snapped by Pamela Montez and Carling Seguso, 8-6, at the
third court to even the score for the doubles point. Second-ranked
Juricova, who fell to fifth-ranked Schnack in the semifinal of the Cal
Nike Invitational, repaid the favor as she put the Bears up, 2-0, with a
6-4, 6-2 win at the No. 1 singles position. The Bruins got on the board
as Maya Johansson took a 6-4, 6-1 win over Annie Goransson at court
five, but Cal responded to take a 3-1 lead as No. 83-ranked Andersson
earned a 6-4, 6-3 win over No. 41 Remynse at court three. It was
Andersson's sixth straight singles win to keep her perfect through 12
sets in dual matches. UCLA made things interesting as Hickey put the
finishing touches on a 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 10-ranked Cossou at the
second singles court. With the Bruins just a step away from tying the
match at three-all, Davis slammed on the brakes to give the Bears the
victory as she took out Seguso, 6-2, 6-3, on the sixth court. It was
Davis' seventh straight win and the second time that she has clinched
Cal's team victory. With the winner determined, the Bruins put up one
more point when Montez took a 6-3, 7-5 win over Siwosz at court four.
First Round Matchup: No. 3 California def. Georgia Tech, 5-2
Quarterfinal Matchup: No. 3 California def. UCLA, 4-3
Semifinal Matchup: No. 3 California vs. No. 2 Northwestern - 3:30 p.m.
(CT)

North Carolina: The surging 11th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels knocked
off their second top-10 opponent in as many days after defeating No. 5
Baylor, 5-2. After sweeping the doubles point, Carolina got wins in four
of six singles matches to advance to Sunday's semifinals, where the Tar
Heels will meet their most familiar foe and top-seeded Duke. Carolina
(9-0) stormed out of the gate in doubles to take the all-important early
advantage. Baylor (4-1) moved ahead with a pair of wins at Nos. 1 and 3.
No. 24 Nina Secerbegovic tied the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jelena
Durisic at No. 3, and No. 17 Broosova gave the Lady Bears their first
lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Tsang at the top of the lineup. But
Grabinski would quickly pull the Tar Heels back even with her 6-1, 7-5
win over Taylor Ormond at No. 5, setting the stage for Carolina to score
another upset. With the even courts left to decide the match, UNC went
back in front thanks to another dominant performance by Featherston,
extending her unbeaten dual record to 8-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over
Carla Lindlar. 25th ranked Sanaz Marand would put Carolina over the top,
however, rallying to win six of the final seven games to secure a 6-1,
6-4 win and yet another upset win for the Tar Heels. UNC has now
defeated four top-10 opponents in the last three trips to Madison.
First Round Matchup: North Carolina def. No. 4 Georgia, 5-2
Quarterfinal Matchup: North Carolina def. No. 5 Baylor, 5-2
Semifinal Matchup: North Carolina vs. No. 1 Duke - 3:30 p.m. (CT)